The Evolution of the Weakest Ghoul

Ronan thought he had heard wrong, but judging from their facial expressions, it seemed it was true.

Fascinating, wasn’t it?

Ronan stood up as he spoke.

"Is it a standard military requirement for one to reach the Sovereign Realm before being allowed to sit here?" Ronan asked.

"Sorry to say, but it might as well be. After all, only someone at the Sovereign Realm can cause significant damage to the enemy. Plus, they possess some qualities that cannot be found in Transcendent Realm experts," another commander explained.

"Really? What if a Transcendent Realm being is more powerful than a Sovereign Realm expert?" Ronan asked, amused.

"You might be adventurers and naturally stronger than your peers, but the gap between the Transcendent Realm and the Sovereign Realm isn’t something you can simply cross as you wish. Besides, even if you are stronger—"

"Can you fly?"

Another commander suddenly stood up, clearly annoyed.

These adventurers were really arrogant.

Did he think the Sovereign Realm was part of the Transcendent Realm? Or did he think Sovereign Realm beings were weak?

"I see."

Ronan smiled.

"I’ll take my leave, then. Please continue with the meeting."

Ronan turned to leave.

"Ma... Basha, wait."

Yen stood up to speak but quickly changed her words.

She had almost called Ronan Master.

If she had done so, it would have aroused suspicion. After all, they were supposed to be squadmates. Furthermore, she and Hesa were stronger than him, so why would he be their master?

"It’s okay. Stay for the meeting. I’ll be outside waiting," Ronan said.

Yen nodded.

After leaving the tent, Ronan had a wide smile on his face.

He couldn’t help but remember his former bosses’ big, fat faces as he crawled around and practically licked their shoes just so they could help him get a promotion at work.

They sure loved having someone suck up to them.

And just like these commanders, they always deemed him unqualified and kicked him out whenever he tried to get involved.

Well, never again.

In this life, Ronan would become the strongest.

Even the gods would be beneath him.

Ronan moved to a quiet area where the soldiers were already asleep.

His expression was strangely calm as he crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby watchtower.

At the top of the tower, a soldier battled against sleep as he kept watch over the surroundings.

Although it was night and the next day had yet to arrive, Ronan felt as though he could already see the future.

And it was quite interesting.

"Tomorrow, you will see what a Peak Transcendent Ghoul can do."

Ronan clenched his fist as he thought this.

Several hours later, they finally finished the meeting.

Yen and Hesa appeared, only to find that Ronan had now replaced the soldier at the top of the watchtower.

Ronan knew the soldier couldn’t hold on much longer.

He had been injured and lost a lot of blood, yet he had persisted. Even though there were other watchtowers around, he still felt that a single mistake in his path could be disastrous for the entire base.

Ronan was quite surprised as he offered to help and the soldier accepted immediately, showing just how much he had been struggling to stay awake.

"Are you okay?" Yen couldn’t help but ask.

Hesa looked toward the sky, which was now filled with bright stars. Even without the moon, there were other sources of light illuminating the surroundings.

"I am. How was it?" Ronan smiled as he asked.

Seeing his smile, Yen and Hesa exchanged glances.

Although Ronan was behaving as if nothing had happened, even his speech had changed.

It had definitely gotten to him, yet he had decided to play it off.

"It was fine, Master. Basically, it was just a plan to kill some Sovereign Realm experts of the Orc race," Yen explained.

"I see," Ronan muttered.

"Well, get ready. We’ve been hyped up, so we shouldn’t let them down, right? Let’s show them our might as adventurers."

Ronan raised his biceps as he flexed them.

The girls were confused.

"Master... what is ’hyped’?" Yen couldn’t help but ask.

"Eh?"

Ronan paused, wondering how he would explain it.

*******

Morning came as sunlight cascaded upon the ground.

A soft wind blew across the battlefield as two armies stood a thousand meters from one another.

One was a dense green army.

The other was the human army.

The commanders stood at the front line, while Ronan and the two girls stood behind them.

"Attack!"

The command rang out as the humans raised their spears and charged into battle.

There was no motivational speech.

No war cry.

Nothing.

Only the clattering sound of metal striking against metal as their legs buried themselves into the sand with every step.

Each step shook the earth.

On the other side, the Orcs charged as well.

Standing at roughly two and a half meters on average, these green monsters had bulky muscles and carried large weapons. They roared as they charged toward the humans.

Hatred born from thousands of years of conflict between familiar enemies...

The two armies finally met.

Bang!

Clank!

Boom!

Metal clashed against metal.

Meat against meat.

Bones against bones.

The two sides erupted into a fierce battle to the death.

For the new soldiers, this was their theory being put into practice.

The reality of having to kill another creature that was actively trying to kill them made their muscles tense and their nerves unravel.

Every step required thought and precise movement.

For if they were even one step too close, they could go from losing a toe to losing their entire head.

Their weapons plunged into the muscle-filled bodies of the Orcs, but their absurd durability allowed them to withstand and slow down the attacks, giving them an extended chance at survival.

Meanwhile, among them, Ronan was the most proactive. After all, he needed the Orcs’ traits.

Using the sword given to them by the army, he drove it straight into the abdomen of a Transcendent Realm Orc.

Then, he lifted the Orc into the air before smashing him into the ground.

Removing his sword, green blood littered the ground as the Orcs nearby were frightened by how easily Ronan had killed one of their own.

[Ding! Host has killed an Orc and gained a new trait.]

[Host has gained the Bloodlust Trait.]

[Bloodlust Lv.1:

A racial trait possessed by all Orcs. The host becomes stronger when surrounded by bloodshed and killing intent.]

[Ding! Host has gained a new Ability.]

[Iron Bones Lv.1:

The host’s bones possess extraordinary density and durability, making them extremely resistant to fractures and physical impact.] Passive

"Fucking yes... This is what I’m talking about!"

Ronan laughed widely as the soldiers looked at him in surprise.

Did killing Orcs really feel that good?

Meanwhile, the Orcs felt that Ronan might be... a tad mentally sick.

Why did he seem so happy about killing one of them?

Could it be that there was something good about killing Orcs?

If Ronan could hear them, he would definitely agree.

Of course, there was something good about killing Orcs.

"Come on... Don’t run away now."

Ronan’s eyes widened as he spoke.

To him, he wasn’t looking at two-and-a-half-meter-tall green humanoid creatures covered in muscles.

No.

What he saw were stronger traits and new abilities, all of which could be enhanced.

These Orcs were experiences...

Ronan moved as he felt his bones becoming denser.

At the same time, his muscles seemed to compact before growing even denser.

Although his body didn’t suddenly become larger, the changes were still astonishing.

Even if Ronan was the same size as an ordinary human, he now possessed at least three times the bone density and muscle density of one.

A ridiculous change occurred, leaving the surrounding soldiers stunned and the Orcs horrified.

Bang!

Ronan caught the first Orc with ease.

He actually lifted the Orc into the air before smashing him into the ground.

Mind you, this Orc was at the Peak of the Transcendent Realm.

Back at home, he had been considered a talented individual. His trait had already reached its peak, and he was on the verge of undergoing his first evolution.

He had only been gathering the resources necessary for it.

Shiaaa!

Ronan pierced the Orc’s eye and drove the sword straight through its skull, killing it instantly.

[Bloodlust Lv.1 → Bloodlust Lv.2]

Seeing this, Ronan smiled so widely that his cheeks almost felt as though they would tear apart.

"De... devil."

A nearby Orc spoke with fear.

He was only at the Sixth Star of the Transcendent Realm.

Didn’t that mean Ronan would be able to kill him in a single attack if he confronted him?

But it wasn’t over.

Ronan turned into a reaper as he began slaughtering the Orcs one after another.

Soon, there were no "free" Orcs left.

All of them were already engaged in battle with nearby soldiers, so Ronan simply began attacking and killing them as well.

It didn’t matter whether they were winning or losing.

As long as they were Orcs, they were Ronan’s.

In fact, as the Iron Bones ability grew stronger and stronger, Ronan’s body became terrifyingly powerful.

The ability had even evolved from being merely passive to becoming active.

He could now coat his flesh with the power of his bones, further enhancing his physical body.

Ronan threw away his sword.

Then, he grabbed an Orc with his bare hands and ripped it apart as easily as though it were made of paper.